Manorama Khedkar, mother of controversial IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, was detained from Maharashtra’s Raigad district on Thursday. This follows the recent viral circulation of an old video showing Manorama allegedly threatening farmers with a pistol, leading to an FIR against the Khedkar couple and five others in connection with a land dispute.
Manorama’s husband, Dilip Khedkar, a retired Maharashtra government officer, is also under investigation for alleged disproportionate assets and income reportedly worth Rs 40 crore. The Pune Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has received a complaint seeking an open inquiry into his assets, despite an ongoing probe by the Nashik ACB into the same matter.
The recent controversy surrounding Manorama includes another video that surfaced on Wednesday, showing her in a heated argument with Metro rail construction workers in Pune. The exact date of this 27-second clip remains unknown.
Last week, Pune Rural police announced a probe to verify whether Manorama possessed a license for the firearm seen in the initial video. The incident in question occurred at a land parcel in Dhadwali village in Mulshi, which Puja’s father allegedly bought. Local residents have accused the Khedkars of encroaching on neighboring farmers’ land. In the video, Manorama is seen aggressively confronting a man, brandishing a pistol before concealing it.
Regarding the investigation into Dilip Khedkar’s assets, Pune ACB Superintendent of Police Amol Tambe stated, “An open inquiry against Dilip Khedkar is currently underway at the Ahmednagar unit by Nashik ACB. We have now received another complaint seeking an open inquiry. We have recorded the complainant’s statement and forwarded the complaint to ACB headquarters along with the evidence.” The ACB headquarters will decide whether to incorporate the new complaint into the existing investigation or initiate a separate inquiry. Meanwhile, Dilip Khedkar remains untraceable.
Puja Khedkar, a 2023-batch IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre, faces accusations of posing as an OBC non-creamy layer candidate in her Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) application. She also claimed to be visually and mentally disabled but refused tests to verify her claims. Her notoriety grew due to reports of her demanding a separate office, an official car, and unauthorized use of a beacon on her private vehicle during her posting in Pune. These issues led to her transfer from Pune to Washim.
However, the Maharashtra government has put Puja Khedkar’s district training program on hold, summoning her back to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie for “necessary action.” Maharashtra Additional Chief Secretary Nitin Gadre confirmed that the academy had decided to recall her immediately.
